If you've ever watched the Home Shopping Network or seen an
infomercial, then you know about the power of testimonials. In my
experience, there's an instantaneous increase in the number of
sales when real customers are seen or heard testifying as to how
beneficial a product has been for them. It helps potential
customers clearly imagine themselves as proud owners of that
product, experiencing the very same benefits as the person who made
the honest testimonial.

The best way to get prospective clients to buy from you is to
introduce them to other satisfied customers. Because you can't
drag your best customers around with you on all your sales calls,
testimonials can take their place. Luckily, you don't have to
be on a shopping network or in an expensive infomercial to use
testimonials to your advantage.

Ask your best customers whether you can interview them about the
positive experiences they've had with your product and company,
and record it with a video or digital camera. You can then load the
videos onto your laptop and, with just the click of a mouse, play
them back for prospective customers.

A picture of a happy
customer is worth a thousand impersonal sales brochures.

For example, maybe you know of some situation where the cost of
your product was initially an issue for a particular customer, who
decided to buy instead from a lower-priced competitor. But then,
after discovering that the selected vendor wouldn't be able to
deliver, the customer came back to do business with you. The
customer had realized that the lower price he or she paid in the
short run would actually cost more in the long run, and the value
you provide in quality and service is more than worth the extra
money.

That's the perfect kind of customer to give you a
testimonial. Then, should you run into another prospect with
similar concerns, you can say, "I understand how you feel, and
other customers have felt that way, too. In fact, here are some
comments from a customer who had the same concerns as you do
now." You can then open your laptop and play the testimonial
for the prospect.

Ask your contented customers to talk about the benefits
they've received from using your product or service. If you
have a number of different testimonials, you can always use the one
that best fits the sales scenario in which you find yourself. One
particular rep I know takes pictures of customers using his
product. A picture of a happy, satisfied customer is worth a
thousand impersonal sales brochures.

Truth sells-and you can't get closer to the truth than when
it comes from someone who's had a real-life experience with
you, your product and your company.